6 WHAT PERSONAL TARGETS HAVE YOU SET IN YOUR NEW JOB?
My main target is to make cricket a sport for all. We are doing a lot of cross community work and I want to increase this in non-traditional areas of the province. For example, Brian Allen our North-West CDO has been in the city-side of Derry coaching throughout the winter and I feel the availability of cricket, as an alternative summer sport will really benefit the game here. Geographically, opportunities also exist to develop cricket in towns like Omagh and Enniskillen, and other areas in the west of the province.
I also want to develop more opportunities for girls and women in cricket, and for disabled performers. Some initial groundwork has been done by the NICA, but I would like to offer cricket as a realistic summer sport to girls/women and similarly afford disabled persons the opportunity to get involved, both actively, and as administrators.
I also seek to develop a well-structured and progressive Academy system for the most promising youngsters in Northern Ireland. I want to have a pathway for development from the ages of 7-10 through to 19 and feel that the region can really produce more top quality players in the future.
7 YOUR CLUB NORTH DOWN HAS ENJOYED TREMENDOUS SUCCESS IN THE LAST DECADE BUT SUDDENLY THREE TOP PLAYERS HAVE LEFT. HAS SOMETHING GONE WRONG BEHIND THE SCENES AT COMBER?
This was the most asked question over the winter!
No, things are fine at the Green and all the guys are looking forward to another successful year amidst the third Golden era at North Down. The guys who have left have done so with the good wishes of the team and the club. Losing three senior players does of course leave a hole but we are fortunate in having an attractive club with the best social and playing facilities available within the NCU. Our younger players and new players, who are attracted to the Green, now have the opportunity to win a place in a very successful team. Competition will be keen for places and that will keep everyone involved in the squad on their toes. I actually feel that we may be stronger in certain areas than last year, with a more energetic side including a number of new players who are hungry for success. It’s just a pity the three guys didn't hang around to be part of our continuing development as a club both on and off the field, but then life is full of options.
7 WILL NORTH DOWN STRUGGLE IN 2008 TO MAINTAIN THEIR SUPERIORITY IN NCU CRICKET?
The 2008 season will certainly bring new challenges at the Green. Expectation levels are always high which is a positive thing, and annually fuels the desire to succeed. This may or may not prove to be our most testing year of late, but the spine of the team remains, including Taimur Khan, our club professional for a record tenth season. I feel we have the ammunition to compete as one of the top four teams, and have never worried too much about winning trophies. For me what really matters is the development of the club in terms of growth on and off the field. We had an outstanding season last year and we have many great memories of being at the top of the tree for some time, but every season brings new challenges.
8 WHY HAVE NORTHERN CLUBS PERFORMED SO BADLY IN THE IRISH SENIOR CUP IN RECENT TIMES?
Simply economics. Northern Ireland has lagged behind the south for sometime, and has not attracted the foreign worker to the same extent as booming Dublin. Not only have overseas people come to work, but from within their midst some really good cricketers have emerged. There is no doubt in my mind that if roles had been reversed and Belfast had been a hub for economic migrants, cricket would have flourished in recent times and fortunes would have been different in respect of the premier club competition. Add foreign players to our clubs from countries with cricket as their number one sport, and I'm sure the larger northern sides would have dominated the Irish Senior Cup in much the same way as the Dublin clubs have done.
The ability to play professionals won't reverse the trend in my mind. One man does not make a team and until our economy and ethnic make-up reflects that of the south, I think we shall be at a disadvantage.
9 YOU HAVE STRONG VIEWS ON OVERSEAS PROFESSIONALS IN LOCAL CRCIKET. WHY DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE BEEN A GOOD FORCE WITHIN THE GAME?
I wouldn't say I have strong views but I am interested in the debate. I am in favour of overseas professionals because I think a role model is required for all youngsters in club cricket, someone to watch and play alongside you as your game develops. I don’t think that the inclusion of one professional in the team prevents youngsters from being afforded opportunities to perform, which has often been forwarded as an argument to exclude them from club cricket. At North Down I have no doubt that the batch of young players in my era would not have developed as well technically and competitively without a responsible and skilled role model. Being coached by Michael Clarke and Raman Lamba was a great experience, complimented by their presence as a role model on the field of play.
Not every club was as fortunate as North Down in terms of their choice of professional. A bad experience can often stay in the mind for a long time, but even the staunchest of anti-pro clubs have backed down and employed professionals, so they have admitted the positives outweigh the negatives.
10 IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING IN YOUR CRICKET LIFE AT THE FLICK OF A SWITCH WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I'm not sure to be honest, as I have enjoyed playing cricket both at club and representative levels. I suppose I would have wanted to have played a fuller role for Ireland and been given the opportunity to impress Adi Birrell at the start of his tenure as coach. Having only a few caps for Ireland has disappointed me as I feel I had something to offer, especially in my early twenties, but I am genuinely pleased for all the guys who have contributed to the team’s success over recent years, and I still enjoyed the short period I spent in the team and as subsequent squad member.
The opportunities for youngsters are limitless today and I really wish I was one of the many boys I have coached over the past few years, with the potential to make a living out of cricket on a full-time basis.
I'm not one for looking back, as my close pals know, and prefer to keep busy on different projects going forward, but a career in county cricket would have been a great challenge and experience.
Anyway, less of the dreaming, here’s to enhancing Irish Cricket in the longer term in any way that I can.
